"Metering is going to be classical music of this new energy era.I too have started a micro processor data logging(LAN only)but as I add more sensor's the question always comes up.OK but what is it that I'm referencing this against?Weather…"

"Chris--sounds like we have similar views on the smart meter trojan horse, but let's not go there in this thread.
Regarding the $50 challenge from Dan Reicher at Google: keep in mind this was his eventual goal. The numbers I've seen are…"

"Chris:
I can understand your concern and frustration over what is available to homeowners for managing their appliance energy. I also commend you on your inventing solutions. The home energy management market is gaining momentum and prices for…"

"Chris,
That isn't a bad system at the David Brower Center, it is very similar to the system my company sells...except our electricity portion works and the information is update more frequently, the information for the Center isn't…"

"Silas, Peter,
Yes I track lots of DIY sites and Twitter feeds. I used Google Reader to track dozens of blogs, too. I read Hackaday, Instructibles, MakezZine, Adafruit, MightyOhm and on and on... I go to the Maker Faire every year, and I'm…"

"@Chris--I like where you're headed with this, especially the ambient sensors and future potential for gas, propane and, I hope, heating oil. There are a couple of efforts, Plotwatt being the primary one, aimed at the space between the single…"

"Chris,
Once you have completed your unit do you have any plans of making is accessible to the public or selling it? From your posts it seems that you would rather enjoy a website called hackaday. They have some great articles on there about creating…"

"Silas,
I would challenge the concept of tracking the difference in kW based on the On/Off of an appliance. A refrigerator for instance cycles on and off at somewhat regular intervals. At night, perhaps is slows the cycles. So at the end of a week,…"

"Silas,
I have built a sensor that uses an MQ 6 propane gas sensor. I also have similar gas sensors that can detect natural gas, carbon monoxide, and a generic one that senses smoke and flammable gas. These cost about $5 each. I also have a…"

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I would call myself an advanced amateur at hardware/software solutions for home energy management. I experiment with various ways to remotely monitor sensors and I am particularly interested in ways to make it affordable and meaningful to track energy usage, down to the appliance level, within a residential environment.

My current system uses three power sensors and one temperature sensor (solar powered), all wireless using the zigbee protocol. They are polled by a low…